Another post from ONE’s Edith Jibunoh from the AGOA Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.

At the AGOA ministerial opening ceremony this morning, both Kenyan President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga gave speeches after Secretary Clinton’s welcoming remarks. Prime Minister Odinga reiterated much of what he spoke about on the first day, further emphasizing the need for inter-regional trade and the importance of developing an African trade agenda. He commended the leadership of Secretary Clinton, noting her ability to accept defeat in the U.S. elections and still go on to work with her former opponent. He noted that in Africa—where had said many elections are rigged—losers often do not accept defeat. This statement proceeded to cause quite a stir, as President Kibaki was scheduled to speak next. Many will recall that President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga were at odds over the disputed 2007 Kenyan elections in Kenya. Terrible post-election violence led to over 1,200 people being killed and 300,000 people being displaced from their homes. The crisis was abated when President Kibaki accepted a brokered arrangement to share power with Prime Minister Odinga in the Kenyan government.

During his remarks, President Kibaki emphasized the importance of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and said that he hoped the AGOA forum would lead to greater product diversity and a greater share of trade between Africa and the U.S. Obstacles in the way to achieving this, he said, included inadequate financing for capacity building, inefficient production techniques, stringent certification procedures and high transport costs. Kibaki then noted that Africa has undergone tremendous changes—and Kenya was certainly no exception. The country had introduced electoral reforms, strengthened media and human rights, and had begun taking steps towards a constitutional review (which could result in a new constitution within a year), bringing greater accountability to all government actions for the good of all Kenyans.

Despite these remarks by both leaders, there seemed to be a lot of skepticism in Kenya about the sincerity of the Kenyan government in ensuring that these reforms translated into real change, both locally and globally. In a private meeting between Secretary Clinton and President Kibaki following the opening ceremony, Secretary Clinton raised the issue of the local tribunal bill (which was recently squashed in parliament). This bill was meant to initiate local tribunals that would consider cases related to the post-election violence, bringing justice to the victims. Clinton insisted that these tribunals were in the best interest of Kenyans and called on the Kenyan government to follow through on their commitment. This statement then sparked off a local debate on whether or not western nations should lecture Africans (in this case Kenya) on good governance. A poll conducted by the Kenyan television network resulted in 59% of respondents calling in to say YES, and 41% calling in to say NO.

-Edith Jibunoh

Here’s a post from ONE’s Edith Jibunoh, who’s on the ground at the AGOA Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will address the forum tomorrow morning.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum opened today in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme “Realizing the Full Potential of AGOA through Expansion of Trade and Investment.” AGOA allows eligible African countries to trade with the United States under favorable terms, in an effort to help increase exports from Africa to the U.S.

The first day of the three day forum featured discussions between the private sector, civil society, and African ministers. Issues addressed included AGOA’s performance, capacity development, and how to maximize AGOA’s opportunities. In the opening session, Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga emphasized the importance of aid, but said that is must be effectively applied. He stressed the importance of focusing locally to help build investment capacity, as rapid economic growth would be best achieved through trade. Odinga also noted that African countries had been through strict reforms, and that the continent remained weak in their export capacities due to national strategies that focused on small and medium enterprise (SME) development. While he said that SME’s could not meet the number of bulk orders from the U.S., they could certainly meet regional demands. But in order to do this, African countries had to focus more on inter-regional trade and open up their borders to encourage the free flow of goods between African countries.

Odinga closed his remarks by stating that the terms ‘governance, transparency and accountability’ were created only after the fall of the Berlin Wall and after the end of the old style of development assistance based on Cold War alliances. To this end, he called on African governments to do what they know to be right, rather than focusing on placating donors, and encouraging them to focus on trading their way out of the economic crisis.

More updates to follow.

-Edith Jibunoh

Today marks the first day of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s seven-nation, 11 day trip to Africa. Her first stop is Kenya, where she’ll speak at the 8th African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Nairobi, an annual forum that examines trade and investment relations between the U.S. and Africa.

Following her time in Kenya, Clinton will then travel (in order) to South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, and will end her trip in Cape Verde on August 14. As Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, noted in a press briefing last week, the “Secretary’s trip follows the themes laid out by President Obama during his visit to Ghana: supporting strong and sustainable democratic governments; promoting sustainable economic development; strengthening public health and education; and assisting in the prevention, litigation, and resolution of conflicts around Africa.”

Check out Carson’s complete description of the trip (or click here to read the State Department’s press release.)

In the days ahead, stay tuned to the ONE blog, as we’ll continue to offer updates and insight on Clinton’s travels throughout Africa!

-Kara Arsenault

I am a Tweep, that is a member of the Twitter community, and so is Senator Chuck Grassley. Last Friday he attended a very special town hall called a Tweetup, where local tweeps like myself get together. Senator Grassley took questions from the audience on various subjects in front of a huge tv that was a live update of tweets happening about the event. In addition, the tweetup was being broadcast live online where other tweeps who couldn’t attend could watch and participate. This was obviously a very different kind of town hall than Iowa normally has!

I didn’t have a question for the Senator but I did thank him for all he has done in improving trade preference programs. In particular, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has created many economic opportunities for the world’s poorest people in developing countries. Thanks to AGOA, Africa now has over 100,000 new jobs in the export apparel sector.

Overall it was a great and very different event but I am glad I got the opportunity to talk with the Senator and hope that he will continue to support these life saving opportunities for people in the world’s poorest places.

-Libby Crimmings

PS: Be sure to follow ONE on Twitter at “TheONECampaign”!

Part of our ongoing Obama Transition series, examining different sectors of US global development policy. Check out the document we delivered to President Obama’s transition team, and be sure to follow the ONE Blog for further updates on the new administration’s work on global development:

One of the key elements of poverty alleviation in poor countries is the ability to earn resources that can be channeled into basic needs. By exporting their products locally, regionally, and globally, African producers, farmers, and entrepreneurs can earn a living, provide for their families, and contribute to economic growth. Currently, Africa has the lowest share of global trade – at approximately two percent. Now is the time for the Obama administration take action to make trade work for Africa by prioritizing trade policy that encourages development and levels the playing field for African producers.

One example of U.S. trade policy for Africa is the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which lowers or eliminates tariffs on African products exported to the U.S. This special access to the U.S. market can help African businesses to take off. In order to better take advantage of AGOA benefits, programs like the four “trade hubs”, created by the African Global Competitiveness Initiative (AGCI), assist African producers in navigating the U.S. business arena including understanding U.S. customs laws, finding buyers, and getting assistance with pricing and marketing. Niche-market exports like flowers, shea butter, and specialized apparel, in particular have benefitted from both access to the U.S. market and technical assistance through the trade hubs. The trade-hubs cost little to operate and since 2005 have generated an additional $60 million in exports to the U.S.

In the short-term, the Obama administration can showcase their commitment to trade by initially providing a total of $65 million in fiscal year 2009 to these programs, an additional $20 million over the 2008 funding levels of $45 million. With an additional funding infusion of $30 million in fiscal year 2010, a total of $95 million will enable USAID to implement the trade hub program in Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, and Botswana, in addition to expanding the model to another three countries.

Trade policy must be well-integrated with development policy in order to fully utilize the power that trade has to unlock the economic potential in poor countries. Tariffs and subsidies hinder access to new markets, and poor countries need better infrastructure facilities, technology, and resources to meet the demands of the global market. We recommend that the Obama administration align trade policy with development goals, and fund a significant new trade and development initiative. More specifically, we are calling for the expansion of AGOA to cover all products and all African countries for another ten years, the creation of a $100 million small and medium enterprises (SME) fund that will ensure access to capital and technical assistance for entrepreneurs and small businesses in the developing world, and commit to a comprehensive aid for trade package that helps Africa meet the challenges of expanding to new markets.

A comprehensive approach to trade and development that will help Africans sell more products on the global market, address Africa’s supply-side challenges, and spur economic growth in the region, can make a significant impact on poverty in the developing world.

-Beth Adler

Hi there,

President Bush took off for Benin last night, and will also visit Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania, and Liberia in the next 6 days.

We expect the trip to cover several of the bipartisan programs ONE supporters have been supporting for years, such as PEPFAR, PMI, the MCA and AGOA.

The ONE policy staff, who we love, put together briefs on all of these topics so that you can peruse at your leisure during the next few days. As news pours in as to what our president is doing day-to-day on his Africa trip, I’ll likely be referring back to the stats in these quick, easy-to-read briefs.

• PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief)
• PMI (President’s Malaria Initiative)
• MCA (Millennium Challenge Account)
• AGOA (The African Growth and Opportunity Act)

.
-Virginia Simmons